What We're Savoring on the Streets this Season
Portu-Galo
Lucky for us, Rhode Island is home base for the only Portuguese food truck in all of New England. Dreamed up and fulfilled by Levi Medina, a Johnson & Wales graduate and native of Providence, his Portu-Galo truck delivers sandwiches and small bites to those craving a quick but sustaining and flavor-rich meal. According to Levi, just a couple of years ago, “there was a huge void to fill” in the Portuguese cuisine arena, so he stepped up to the plate. Levi infuses his Portuguese heritage into all of his menu items and draws inspiration from his many visits to Portugal. The truck’s most popular item is Portugal’s national sandwich, the Bifana, which is filled with marinated pork loin and topped with caramelized onions and garlic aioli on a fresh papo seco, or Portuguese roll.
Vehicle: 2007 International Workhorse
Chef/Owner: Levi Medina
Follow on: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter @portu_galo
Website: Portu-Galo.com
Favorite hangouts: East Providence; Providence, Kennedy Plaza, Brown University
Most popular dish: It’s a tie! Bifana, a marinated pork loin sandwich with caramelized onion and garlic aioli; and Levi’s favorite Piri Piri, a chicken sandwich with mesclun greens, red onion, garlic aioli and piri piri sauce served on a Portuguese massa roll
Rain or shine: Levi prefers the sun
Most Served: 10,000 pounds of French fries each year
Summer events: Carousel Festival in Riverside; Food Truck Festival in Bristol; Street Eats & Oldies car show in East Providence
Local purveyors: Central Meat Market and Silver Star Bakery, especially for their papo seco rolls
FanCheezical
FanCheezical, just like the grilled cheese itself, started with a simple goal: to make something amazing. Beginning with Guy Shaffer in February 2012, the truck transformed from its start at a fire station, then to an organic farm and finally to what we know as FanCheezical today. In mid-2013, Guy handed over the keys to Nathan Brown, who runs the business with help from Nicole Anderson. They’ve got two trucks: one for events and private catering, and one permanently parked on the farm at Buzzards Bay Brewing, a come-and-drink micro-brewery in nearby Westport. And look for the FanCheezical cafe opening this summer in Swansea, MA. You can thank a seventh grader named Evan for the fun FanCheezical name. Plus, he gets to eat for free.
Vehicles: 1976 Chevrolet P30 Step Van & 1982 Chevrolet P30 Step Van
Chef/Owner: Nathan Brown
Follow on: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @fancheezical
Favorite hangout: Buzzards Bay Brewery: “If a brewery and a food truck could get married, they’d be married already!”
Don’t miss: The Bay of Pigs: Pulled pork, ham, bacon, three kinds of cheese (American, cheddar, Colby Jack), Cubano sauce (mayo, mustard, jalapeños, house-made pickles)
Most customers served: Newport Folk Festival—1,000 people in one day
Summer events: Food Truck Fridays at Roger Williams Park; Fridays at Laden’s Vineyard, West Greenwich, (1 Friday per month); Newport Folk Festival; Newport Jazz Festival; Providence Flea (check ahead)
Local purveyors: Any farmer they meet at the brewery who will barter produce for grilled cheese sandwiches
Number of Michelin stars: Zero
Number of Michelin tires: 12
